The Green Thing – a Senior’s Lament

As a card carrying environmentalist, I can see the humour in this wry lament sent to me this morning by one of my long-suffering flock, who has herself been involved in several cane-toad busting expeditions in our state’s north east and has spent the last two weeks organising conservation measures on Rottnest Island: In the line atContinue reading “The Green Thing – a Senior’s Lament”

Our need to know keeps us from learning so much…

Begin to care for nature and nature cares for you, in unsuspected ways – Bill Neidjie, Aboriginal elder and author of Kakadu Man. On the eve of the climax of the great angst – the PM’s announcement of the details of the Carbon Tax package – we hear more wisdom from the earth’s indigenous peoples.Continue reading “Our need to know keeps us from learning so much…”

Grim statistics

    CSIRO scientists have established a raw data page to counter accusations that their work is “not real science” – see it at aptly named Cape Grim Data. I guess it is very difficult to communicate objective, uninterpreted information when the population is caught up in an emotive and political ideological storm surrounding the proposed carbon emissionsContinue reading “Grim statistics”

Climate change rallies around Oz today

News feeds are starting to come in as Australian state capitals host “Say yes” rallies in support of the government’s proposed carbon emissions tax. Here’s one feed featuring a speech by World Vision CEO  Tim Costello:  Australia ‘seen as climate freeloader’. The timing of the rallies clashed with this morning’s church services, but we finished givingContinue reading “Climate change rallies around Oz today”

Debating Global Warming…

… is not my favourite pastime as people’s minds are generally made up and difficult to sway. As a flunkee in high school physics I’m somewhat behind the eight-ball when countering climate skeptics’ arguments. What I can argue, however, is human responsibility to care for the planet. When someone gleefully seeks to trump this argumentContinue reading “Debating Global Warming…”

Demonising the Greens – Eureka Street

Demonising the Greens – Eureka Street. This thoughtful article reflects some of the healthy tensions in my own church community comprising robust and articulate adherents across the whole range of the political spectrum. Having just entered a solar-energy package that benefits both our local church and its adherents through our environmental policy (and the pragmaticContinue reading “Demonising the Greens – Eureka Street”

H2O

It’s Blog Action Day and the topic is “water.” I grew up with a love/hate relationship with the stuff. Loved playing with it. Hated the enforced swimming lesson that entailed jumping off the Port Adelaide wharf into the canal on the end of a rope. Swallowed lots of water and never went back. Never learntContinue reading “H2O”

Taxing against Climate Change

Neither Prime Minister Rudd nor Opposition Leader Abbot sponsor policies that deal adequately with climate change challenges. Inevitably, the politics of funding gets in the way. A Eureka Street article by Peter Hodge points to a possible solution called the “Tobin Tax” – a tax on foreign currency transactions. “Set at a tiny 0.005 perContinue reading “Taxing against Climate Change”

Geothermal energy in Perth heralds PlanetPrayer

Great to see Norman Moore’s annoucement that  geothermal energy is to be implemented as a viable alternative for the cooling of Perth. In the meantime and on the eve of COP15, the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, PlanetPrayer begins its daily prayer cycle. You can subscribe for a daily email that includes environmental careContinue reading “Geothermal energy in Perth heralds PlanetPrayer”